Insulin Sensitivity Controls Activity of Pathogenic CD4+ T Cells in Rheumatoid Arthritis.

Hyperinsulinemia connects obesity, and a poor lipid profile, with type 2 diabetes (T2D). Here, we investigated consequences of insulin exposure for T cell function in the canonical autoimmunity of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). We observed that insulin levels correlated with the glycolytic index of CD4+ cells but suppressed transcription of insulin receptor substrates, which was inversely related to insulin sensitivity.

Bivalent chromatin accommodates survivin and BRG1/SWI complex to activate DNA damage response in CD4 cells.

Background: Bivalent regions of chromatin (BvCR) are characterized by trimethylated lysine 4 (H3K4me3) and lysine 27 on histone H3 (H3K27me3) deposition which aid gene expression control during cell differentiation. The role of BvCR in post-transcriptional DNA damage response remains unidentified. Oncoprotein survivin binds chromatin and mediates IFNγ effects in CD4 cells.

Ex Vivo Vascular Imaging and Perfusion Studies of Normal Kidney and Tumor Vasculature.

This work describes a comprehensive study of the vascular tree and perfusion characteristics of normal kidney and renal cell carcinoma. Methods: Nephrectomy specimens were perfused ex-vivo, and the regional blood flow was determined by infusion of radioactive microspheres. The vascular architecture was characterized by micronized barium sulphate infusion.

Predation and spatial connectivity interact to shape ecosystem resilience to an ongoing regime shift.

Ecosystem regime shifts can have severe ecological and economic consequences, making it a top priority to understand how to make systems more resilient. Theory predicts that spatial connectivity and the local environment interact to shape resilience, but empirical studies are scarce. Here, we use >7000 fish samplings from the Baltic Sea coast to test this prediction in an ongoing, spatially propagating shift in dominance from predatory fish to an opportunistic mesopredator, with cascading effects throughout the food web.

The correlation between small papillary thyroid cancers and gamma radionuclides Cs-137, Th-232, U-238 and K-40 using spatially-explicit, register-based methods.

A steep increase of small papillary thyroid cancers (sPTCs) has been observed globally. A major risk factor for developing PTC is ionizing radiation. The aim of this study is to investigate the spatial distribution of sPTC in Sweden and the extent to which prevalence is correlated to gamma radiation levels (Caesium-137 (Cs-137), Thorium-232 (Th-232), Uranium-238 (U-238) and Potassium-40 (K-40)) using multiple geospatial and geostatistical methods.